Fire pits, fire bowls and barbeques are types of fire effect devices that control fire within a contained space. Fire pits and bowls can be used as ornamental devices which display fire and/or provide heat to an indoor or outdoor space. Barbeques generally also include a grate or grill member to place food thereon and to cook the food. Attempts have been made to incorporate these kind of devices into or within a table top or other piece of furniture.
The prior art either provides i) tables with permanently attached heaters/fire bowl/grill which are too heavy and/or large and with limited means to remove the fire bowl/grill from the table, or ii) fire bowl/grills which can be placed on a table, but are not aesthetically pleasing or practical due to various pieces and parts required and the presence of connection tubes and other attachment parts that are not hidden.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,466, issued to Baykal, discloses a combination patio table and outdoor barbeque where the table has an opening 16 within which a cooking griddle 23 is contained. Also contained within this opening is a bucket 24 being positioned underneath the table top 13 which includes venting ports 30 and a rimmed hole 31 to accommodate the pole of the umbrella or parasol. The opening 16 is much larger in size than the umbrella hole 31 in order to accommodate the large diameter of the bucket and griddle which rests upon the bucket. Venting ports are also placed on the frame (pedestal) of the table to accommodate a gas line when the gas fired burning feature is employed. This table requires a number of parts and/or design features which are often difficult to maintain, keep clean and can often be lost over time. Furthermore, the table itself must be specially designed to accommodate the barbeque. For example, the Baykal table must accommodate the size of bucket 24 and will not fit any other size barbeque.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,906, issued to Grove et al., discloses a fire bowl 12 having pegs 16 which function as feet to be placed upon a table 18. Formed within the table is an enlarged centrally located hole 24 to place the fire bowl therein. Grove thus also requires a hole to be formed that accommodates the shape and size of the fire bowl placed therein. The fuel tank of Grove must be directly attached to the fire bowl whether on top of the table itself or suspended underneath the table with no support other than the fire bowl itself. This creates a dangerous situation with quite a heavy assembly being suspended in air and making movement of the table very difficult. Furthermore, the fuel tank and adjustment lever 50 take up space under the table and thereby restrict the leg movement of individuals sitting at the table. The Grove design also could not accommodate a larger tank size, such as a 20 pound propane tank, as all the aforementioned disadvantages mentioned would become even greater with a larger tank.
The present invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages by providing a unique attachment assembly between the fuel tank and the fire bowl which allows the tank to be separated from the fire bowl. Furthermore, it is desired to have the ability to use any size fuel tank in conjunction with a fire bowl, from one pound to twenty pounds or more, which would minimize the amount of times the tank must be replaced or refilled. Another desired feature of the present invention is to overcome the difficulty of accessing the propane tank and associated controls contained therein in the prior art. Oftentimes, additional steps for gaining access to the tank must be taken, such as moving the table or reaching into difficult to access spaces.
The fire receptacle of the present invention is easily attached, detached and reattached to a variety of tables having an umbrella hole, unlike prior art devices in this area which require a specialized table with an internal housing or a large cut out on a table to mount the fire device within the table. Umbrella tables are a common type of outdoor furniture which are readily available and can be inexpensive to purchase in comparison to the tables which are integrated with fire pits and/or bowls. Umbrella tables are used in households and commercial establishments alike for outdoor and indoor leisure. Incorporating the present invention with an umbrella table does not require any alteration of the table, nor does it require any additional pieces or elements to be purchased.
Furthermore, the particular mounting mechanism of the present invention is a feature unlike the prior art. The present invention facilitates the removal of the device in as little as two steps: i) the simple turning of a nut and ii) disconnecting the connecting hose from the fuel source. Other details and features of this receptacle are described in detail below and in the figures.